How To Deck Out an Old Record Cabinet

When you find one of these old record cabinets, you absolutely must buy it. After a good cleaning, it's a perfectly charming piece of furniture you can use for a side table, printer stand or even to hold a vintage turntable. Once the wood is cleaned up, sanded, primed and painted, the sides are ready to cover in spotted cowhide. It's a piece of furniture that's practical, as well as chock full of personality. Occasionally, DIY projects don't turn out as well as you imagined, not so with this one, it's a keeper.

Instructions

1. Place the cabinet on its back and remove the sliding doors2. Clean up the outside and inside of the cabinet and legs with furniture cleaner and a cloth3. Lightly sand the top and sides of the cabinet, wipe off dust with a cloth4. Prime and paint the top and around the outside edges of the cabinet, let dry, repeat. 5. Use steel wool to clean up the sliding doors and rub them down with Old Gold furniture polish6. Measure the side of the cabinet to determine how big to cut the cowhide 7. Cut two pieces of spotted cowhide, paint contact cement on the back side and on the cabinet side8. Carefully adhere the cowhide to the sides of the cabinet. Use a roller or brayer to smooth the hide flat9. Replace doors

Additional notes:Sometimes you can find pieces of hides at thrift stores. There are online sources for hides but there are also places that sell scraps. Do some investigation so you don't wind up with an entire hide.